comics

KISS: Psycho CircusI've been meaning to post about this for a few weeks now, actually, sort of partially in response to the post about Gaiman's Sandman, partially in response to Watchman. Now I'm re-reminded of the topic, due to a discussion we've been having in Professor Harding's 1960's Theatre seminar, regarding the idea of the cowboy as mythical figure (the tall tale of the cowboy), and how he's been replaced by the rock star as the tall tale, which (of course) led to a discussion of the superhero as the emerging mythical figure. (Essentially, we could argue that cowboys were our imperialist Cold War heroes of the 1950's, but by the late 1960's, the rock star emerged when fighting the establishment became heroic, and superheroes? Well, apparently that's a phase we're in right now. But I'd argue that we have been since Action Comics #1 came out; we just change the way we choose to read them.)

But. Back to the rock star. I'd been threatening to various associates to write about KISS Psycho Circus on the blog, and I think they thought I was kidding. I wasn't.

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Long lost fifth member of KISS?

It is my opinion that main stream comics these day have hit a low point. Both major companies, DC and Marvel. have published year long crossover crisis for several years now. Both universes seem to be in a state for continual chaos. Marvel has had Disassembled, Secret War and Planet X in 2004, which fed directly into House of M and Decimation on 2005. This was followed by Annihilation and Civil War in 2006, which sets the stage for World War Hulk and the Initiative in 2007 and the "spin off" Messiah Complex which led to the Secret Invasion in 2008 and currently ongoing Dark Reign. DC had Countdown to Infinite Crisis in 2004, Infinite Crisis in 2005, which led to One Year Later in and 52 2006 then Countdown to Final Crisis in 2007 and Final Crisis 2008, plus as "spin offs" Sinistro Corps War in 2007 and Blackest Night currently being published.

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We've spoken so often in this class throughout the year about the medium of comics as harboring a more elevated form than previously considered by popular culture. While I think we all agree that comics truly are "not just for kids anymore," something has come to my attention as of late that I found rather interesting: if we consider illustrated children's books, where is the line drawn between the graphic novel & kiddie lit?

The components are all essentially there: images that support & flesh out a plotted text; a text that parallels & behooves illustration. If a children's book is meant for a child by its form, what are we to consider Moonshadow? The text is narrator-driven, with minimal dialogue coming from the characters themselves, & static images on each page serve to balance this narration. Consider the Clifford the Big Red Dog series, or Arthur, or even chapter-by-chapter illustrated texts for children like the Sideways Stories series or - & perhaps this is a stretch - Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. There are elements in all of these books that speak to adults as well as children (some, of course, more blatantly than others), but why does this make them more of a "comic"? Or does it even make them more of a comic at all?

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This semester we've been talking and writing a lot about talking and writing about comics, so by now, I feel like this question should be easier to answer: How do you write about comics? We've talked enough about the difference between comics and other media that I feel like I should have a good ready answer for that, but I haven't.

For instance, here's a page of Marvel's new comic book adaptation of Pride and Prejudice:

Pride and Prejudice: (Click to enlarge.)

And then (part of) the same passage in Austen's novel:

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Something I ran across a while ago through Chris Hazel's excellent webcomic Misfile is the WOWIO website. WOWIO deals in downloadable .pdf books, including comics and graphic novels. WOWIO deals with both print comics and webcomics, and usually has something free to download every month. Alternatively for a few dollars other content may be downloaded.

While I used to find WOWIO to be a great resource lately their content has underwhelmed me. WOWIO is definitely taking on more of an erotic theme in some areas, especially with regards to their comics. Most of the smart comics I used to read through this service have pulled out due to financial disagreements with the company. Hazel in particular has been keeping a running counter at Misfile for how long it's been since WOWIO paid him his earned royalties (currently over $7,000). Likewise, Sarah Ellerton of Phoenix Requiem and Inverloch is no longer on WOWIO for probably similar reasons.

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Watchmen 1-12: But together, do they make a graphic novel?Something that struck me when it was mentioned passingly in class was how we describe works like Watchmen, Moonshadow, or Jimmy Corrigan as graphic novels. The problem with this is that they weren't released as novels, as complete works, but released periodically in a style more similar to the traditional comic book. but yet we insist upon thrusting these titles into the realm of graphic novel. This set me on thinking why we do this and if it is, in fact, justified.

The first part is why we insist upon using the term "graphic novel" for these works. My theory is that this is done to try and set these works aside. There's no denying that the term "comic book" has a connotation that doesn't put it on par with novels, movies, and other universally recognized works of art. By using the term graphic novel we note the exceptionalism of these works, trying to make them stand out as much deeper and more significant creations than your typical 'comic book'. Thus, the term graphic novel no longer becomes a type of publication, specifically a novel portrayed through art, and becomes a catch-all for noteworthy comics to try and grant greater credibility.

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But together, do they make a graphic novel?

First, I'm going to start this entry with a bit of free publicity for one of the coolest things I know about: Free Comic Book Day. It's a relatively new phenomenon, having begun in 2002. Basically, the plan is thus:

1. On the first Saturday of May, comic book stores give out free comics. (They're sent issues of "Free Comic Book Day" comics from publishers--Sometimes a book with samples from a bunch of their comics, sometimes a first issue of a specific comic.)

2. You take the free comics. You read them.

3. You like comics.

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Look familiar?

The art is gorgeous all around. Seriously.

I read an article in The Washington Post this morning on the rise of comic artists using Twitter to draw viewers. The article focuses more on Twitter as a networking device than on the artists who use it, but it raises some interesting discussion points, excerpted here for your reading pleasure.

"People who think Twitter is trivial aren't using it productively," says [Daryl] Cagle, whose site [cagle.com]features the work of about 200 editorial cartoonists. Cagle says he also uses Twitter for creative purposes, sometimes bouncing ideas off his followers.

Darrin Bell, who draws the strip "Candorville," likewise finds that Twitter helps him at the drawing board. "For some reason, Twitter has become a muse," he says. " . . . I can't tell you how many tweets I've posted and then immediately deleted because I realized they'd make good cartoons [...] We cartoonists already spend most of our time creating brief tweetlike musings about our day; only instead of 'tweets,' we call them 'cartoons.'"

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Hi-ho, Alyssa the Johnson here! Our discussion on Friday in class about the visual similarity between Ira in Moonshadow and a big furry Muppet (perhaps a semi-distant cousin of Sweetums?) reminded me that on Wednesday, I purchased a very important comic book. That would, of course, be the new Muppet Show comic.

Statler and Waldorf: A prediction about the quality of the comic, according to one internet blog.Now, here's the interesting thing. This isn't just some comic about Muppets--That's been done before, at least in picture book form. This is, simply put, an episode of The Muppet Show in comic book form. All that's missing is the guest star.

We've got musical numbers, Pigs in Space, a Muppet News Flash, a session with the Swedish Chef, and an underlying backstage plot about how Kermit might or might not miss his home in the swamp. So, yes, we're essentially looking at a variety show on paper. Does this work?

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A prediction about the quality of the comic, according to one internet blog.